Media Briefing - Tuesday 3 June, 2014

Post-Cabinet Briefing by the First Minister’s Official Spokesperson (FMOS) and First Minister’s Special Adviser (FMSA)

The FMOS welcomed journalists to the post-cabinet briefing and ran through key issues.

The FMOS said the Cabinet Secretary for Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill and the Lord Advocate Frank Mulholland updated Cabinet on developments following the deaths of three spectators at the Jim Clark Rally in the Borders on Saturday. The FMOS added the Justice Secretary would be making a Ministerial Statement to Parliament later in the afternoon.

The Cabinet Secretary for Training, Youth & Women's Employment updated Cabinet on the publication earlier that day of a second report by the Commission for Developing Scotland’s Young Workforce, chaired by Sir Ian Wood. The report focussed on areas including vocational education in schools and colleges and recommends that employers should play a greater role in school and colleges to ensure young women and men are equipped with the skills they need to succeed.

The Cabinet Secretary for the Commonwealth Games, Sport, Equalities and Pensioners' Rights Shona Robison updated Cabinet on preparations for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, which are 50 days away. Preparations remain on time and on budget.

The FMSA said the Deputy First Minister has written to the Chief Secretary to the Treasury ahead of the Queen’s Speech tomorrow, calling for devolution of air passenger duty.

When asked for more detail on the format of an evening event being attended by the First Minister in Dundee, the FMSA explained this will be a question and answer-style event.